


Coming Down

by thatonegaycousin (mannerofbeing)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Body Dysphoria, F/M, Falling In Love, Gender Dysphoria, M/M, Post-The Blood of Olympus, Protective Nico, Slow Burn, Well - Freeform, a lotta fluff too tho, boy!bianca, brotherly nico, fatherly hades, in depth look to nico's powers, not that slow, reincarnated!bianca, slight angst, solangelo, theyll be together way before the end
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-11 15:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5632012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mannerofbeing/pseuds/thatonegaycousin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the war, the most Nico di Angelo expects to deal with is Will Solace's insistence of dragging him down to the infirmary. Boy was he wrong. On his second day of bed rest, his father sends him to go rescue the reincarnated version of his sister from kidnappers. The boy's family dead, Nico is forced to take him in. But the boy begins to do things that he shouldn't be able to. Like summon spirits and remember things from their childhood in Venice. Nico has to find a cure before the rest of his sister's memories return to his new brother, or else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> “A love like religion  
> I'm such a fool for sacrifice  
> It's coming down, down, coming down,” - Coming Down, Halsey

 

Part I 

 

It was on his second day in the infirmary that it all went to shit.

The first day had been surprisingly okay, compared to what he'd expected. There had been a steady stream of campers in and out, with small injuries that had yet to be attended to. Then there were others like him that had been strictly confined to bed rest.

His own bed was in a corner next to a window that left his skin warm from the sun, and there was a daughter of Ares, Clarisse, in the bed next to him with a cast on her leg and a sling wrapped around her neck and left arm. She'd nodded to him in acknowledgement when Solace had led him to the bed, fussing over his injuries.

He honestly didn't think they were worth any attention, but when Solace had told him to take off his shirt so that he could tend to his wounds, he did so, while trying hard to quell the rising army of butterflies in his stomach. “I'm fine, honestly, I don't-” His protests had died in his throat when he saw the angry red marks on his arms.

“Mmhmm,” muttered Solace. “I'm fine, honestly! I am the Great Nico di Angelo, I don't feel pain, I don't need help,” he'd mocked. Nico flushed, annoyed.

“I've been a bit busy these past few days, I forgot about them.”

“How the hell do you forget about something like this?! You need to take care of yourself. That little stunt you pulled, transporting the statue across half the world? You could have died.” Solace punctuated each word with a poke to his chest. “I don't want you doing any Underworld mojo stuff for a while, got it?” He held out a square of ambrosia.

Nico scowled, but took the medicine. He wasn't sure why the son of Apollo was so overbearing, but if he was being honest, it was...nice, in a way. The last person to be worried about him was his sister. He bit into the square, and felt the warmth spread through him. It tasted of fries and of something else long forgotten, much more savory and richer than fast food could ever hope to be, he thought as he laid back.

His thoughts had wandered back to his mother, with her long swinging dress, the smell of her perfume, and the way she would hum under her breath as she cooked. He wondered, as he rarely allowed himself to, if she would have accepted him. If she wouldn't have minded the fact that her son was gay. His friends seemed to be okay with it, a bit too supportive, if anything...

“Nico!”

“What?”

“I've been talking for the last five minutes, have you even listened to a word I've said?” Solace looked down at him, and he looked almost concerned.

Nico’s mood had done nothing but go down. What right did he have to look like that? He didn't even know him. “Yeah, I need to sleep, eat and no powers until I'm cleared,” he guessed, and correctly so, going by the look on the healer’s face.

“Right, good. Now I have other patients to attend to, but I'll be back later to check up on you, okay? A lot of the darkness has left you, I felt that when I touched you, but it's still not completely gone. I'm serious about the power thing, no exceptions.” Solace had left after that, and Nico had been left alone to his thoughts.

As he'd stared up at the white ceiling, his mind took him back to Venice, with its winding canals and walkways, of its crowded buildings and the hum of something old that he always felt in such ancient cities. He thought of his sister, his mother, of his childhood friends, and he wondered where they were, if they were still alive, if they had children or grandchildren. And it was to these thoughts that he fell asleep to. 

 

*.*.*.*

 

When he woke up, he felt disoriented. The light coming from outside was different, and he wondered briefly how long he slept for. His hands felt strangely warm, and he looked down only to find a much tanner hand holding his own.

He looked up and gave Will Solace a look that he hoped properly conveyed what he felt, what the fuck are you doing, and could you maybe let go if you don't want to lose your hand?

“Stop looking at me like I drugged you, this is purely for medical reasons!”

Clarisse snorted over from her bed, and the tips of Solace’s ears turned red. “I don't like it when people touch me,” Nico said and tried to get his hand out of his hold, but it only tightened.

“Well, get used to it Death Boy,” Solace said and Nico ignored the horrendous nickname.

“Plan on touching me often, do you?” He felt a vindictive pleasure at Solace’s sputtering and half mumbled excuses.

Solace cleared his throat and pushed up the sleeves of his shirt. “These seem to be healing quite nicely,” he said mildly. And they were. The wounds were covered with the soft pink of new skin, and while they were still a bit tender, Nico still thought it was a great improvement from before. “Also, the darkness seems to be almost completely gone. Which is probably because of all if the sleep you got. So I'm going to recommend you sleep more, while you're here.”

“How long did I sleep for?”

“Like 38 hours. I was going to wake you up for dinner yesterday, but I couldn't. Did you know that you snore, when you sleep? Also, super hard to wake up.”

“I've been told,” he said dryly.

“Well anyway, you missed lunch yesterday and today, so I brought you food.” Solace held up a brown paper bag.

Nico’s stomach growled. “I, um-” He cleared his throat. “Thank you.”

Solace smiled brightly, “You're welcome. I didn't know what you like, so I just went with pizza. You're Italian, right?”

Nico snorted as he sorted through the food in the bag. “You say that like it can actually compete with actual Italian pizza.”

“I'll have you know that the harpies and nymphs work very hard.”

He took a bite out of an apple and spread out the rest of the food atop the bag. “Hard work doesn't necessarily guarantee results.” He was halfway through his meal before he realized that Solace was still sitting at the edge of his bed, staring at him with a peculiar expression on his face.

He felt fidgety and he didn't like it all. “You okay there, doc?”

“Fine. Um, you had some visitors yesterday.”

Nico felt his eyebrows raise. “Really? Who?”

“Jason, Piper and Percy.” He felt his stomach drop. He knew why Percy would come visit him, and it left a cold feeling in his stomach. He really didn't want to talk to him about the crush (that was a mistake and embarrassing).

“Oh… What'd you tell them?”

“That you were sleeping and to come back later, though Percy did seem really insistent.” Solace said. “Don't know why though, they're gonna see you during dinner. Granted, of course, that you don't try to escape, in which case you would eat in here.”

That sounded a lot better, but he wasn't going to let him know that. “I promised that I'd stay.” He settled on instead.

“I know, which is why I'm even letting you out for a bit in the first place.” Solace smiled again and Nico felt almost blinded. The healer was far too happy sometimes, he thought. A cushion flew across the room and hit Solace in the face.

“WILL! STOP FLIRTING AND GET BACK TO WORK! IT'S BEEN AN HOUR!” One of his siblings yelled.

Solace turned red, and Nico could feel his own cheeks warming. “They're intolerable sometimes.” He said, but he stood up and turned to him. “Do you wanna be exploited for the day and help cut up bandages and ambrosia?”

He looked down forlornly at his half-eaten food. He didn't feel much like eating anymore. “Sure, I don't have anything better to do.”

Solace clapped his back, “That's the attitude!”

They spent the few hours until dinner working in peace, or as peaceful as it ever could get in a camp full of armed demigods. Solace had steered him to his desk and handed him strips of bandages and a block of ambrosia and told him to cut them down. “Big enough to get the job done, but also small enough so that they don't, y’know, spontaneously combust and die,” he'd been told.

He worked diligently, and he liked the simplicity of the tasks. While a child of the Underworld was considered bad luck, even he couldn't mess up cutting bandages. He stared at Solace out of the corner of his eye and watched him laugh and speak with his patients and brothers and sisters. He wondered what it was like to have so many siblings. He felt a pang of longing for Hazel. She'd left after the funeral services to go back to New Rome, and while both of them promised to visit, they were still on opposite sides of the country and after only three days, he'd grown alarmingly used to her daily presence.

“Hey Death Boy!” Solace called out to him.

“I thought I told you not to call me that, Solace.”

“You did, but I chose not to listen. It's almost dinner time. We should head over to the pavilion.”

He set down the scissors and stood. They made their way out of the infirmary and walked around a rowdy group of campers that were playing a deadlier version of tag with their swords. “Hey Will! Hey Nico!” They called out.

Nico was surprised, but he waved back nonetheless. “You know,” started Solace. “You have a home here. Not everyone is going to hate you or push you away like you seem to do with everyone. Some people genuinely want the best for you, and it bothers me that you don't seem to realize that. There are people here for you, you just have to open your eyes.”

Nico turned to the son of Apollo, but Solace just kept looking forward. He wanted to ask where these people were because he sure as hell hadn't seen them, but he bit his tongue. Jason was there and he seemed to actually want to spend time with him, and Hazel was his sister, and he knew she would move a mountain for him, so he just said, “I know.”

“Good.” They didn't speak for the rest of the way, but the silence was comfortable, there was nothing else to be said. They parted ways at the pavilion and headed to their own tables, Solace’s filled with loud, rambunctious siblings, and Nico’s with...Jason?

He sat down quietly across from him, and Jason looked up nervously. “It's fine if I sit here, right? I don't really know anybody else and we're friends, and it seems kinda lonely to sit by ourselves when we could sit together.”

“It's fine,” he said. And it was. The only other person to ever sit at the table with him was Hazel, and that was only for a few days. “I wouldn't complain about the company.”

“Okay, good I was worried your dad might've smited me for disrespecting his property or something.” Jason pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and began to eat.

“Everybody ends up at Dad’s place sooner or later, if he got offended he'd be out of a job.”

A piece of broccoli hung out of the side of Jason's mouth, and he looked distinctly worried. “Wait, do you mean-”

“So is the Hades table the place to be?” Percy said as he walked up to them and sat down. “Listen, Nico we need to talk.”

His stomach flip-flopped in discomfort. “I’d really rather not, thank you.”

“But-”

“But nothing. I said what I said, and it's fine. If you have a problem with it, then you probably shouldn't be sitting here for your own sake,” he knew he was being petulant, but Percy had a way of turning him back into that ten year old that had no one and wanted no one.

Percy stuttered, “I- I'm fine with it. It's just…” He glanced at Jason quickly. “Can we take this somewhere private?”

“It's fine, he knows.” More than that, Nico wanted a witness as to how spectacularly Percy Jackson was going to fuck up.

Percy’s eyebrows rose. “How did he-” He shook his head. “Never mind. I, um. I wanted to thank you for telling me about the crush, it must've been really hard for you, even if apparently I'm not your type anymore. Which I don't understand, by the way. I just...I'm sorry, okay?” _I'm sorry for Bianca, I'm sorry for not noticing, I'm sorry that your life got so fucked up because of me._ Percy looked like he wanted to say more but couldn't quite put his thoughts into words.

“Okay.” Nico looked down at his plate in feigned interest and pushed around the food with his fork. He could hear the blood _whoosh-whooshing_ in his ears.

“Soo...we're cool?” At this, Nico looked up and flung a piece of broccoli that hit Percy in the forehead.

“Yes, Jackson, we're cool. Now go back to Annabeth.” The daughter of Athena had been hovering near the Poseidon table and when they looked over, she merely raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah, okay,” Percy stood, clapped Jason on the back and gave Nico a small smile.

Jason watched him leave before turning back to Nico once he was out of earshot.

“Shut up.”

“But I didn't even say anything!”

“You were going to, I could tell. And I've already had two heartfelt conversations today about feelings and stuff and I'd really rather not go through a third.” He scowled, but Jason just continued to look at him in a way that made Nico want to pull his jacket over his head to avoid his gaze.

Instead, he settled on flicking half a spoonful of mash potatoes into Jason's face and watching them plop gracefully onto the edge of his glasses. “Hey!” He yelled indignantly, which made laughter bubble up in Nico's chest and spill from his lips.

“Your...face,” he choked out and felt something soft thud against his cheek. “Oh no, Grace. This means war,” he said and grabbed a fistful of lettuce and let them drop over Jason's head.

Mashed potatoes flew towards him with seemingly no help. “No fair! Powers-”

“Nice to see you're having fun,” a voice said somewhere above him. Nico used his fingers to scrape the food off of his eyes. “Pretty sure this,” a finger scooped down and came back up. “Is supposed to go in here.” Solace plopped the finger in his mouth and Nico did not follow the movement at all.

“Well, considering you didn't really eat anything, we'll just take it back to the infirmary.”

“Dinner isn't even over yet.”

“Doctor's orders. Patients need more rest, so dinner is cut a bit short.”

“You're not even a real doctor,” Nico grumbled under his breath, but rose anyway, avoiding Jason's knowing eyes and his shit-eating grin. He flung one last piece off his tray and left the pavilion with the blonde’s laughter ringing in his ears. He walked side by side with Solace and nibbled on his food. He glanced up at him slyly and noticed the way that the dying sun painted his hair pink…

_MOMMY! NO!_

He dropped his tray.

“Nico?” Solace’s face was blurry in front of his own. He felt arms wrap around him, he hadn't even noticed that he had fallen to his knees.

_MOMMY, HELP! God, if you're listening send an angel please. Mommy's hurt. She's hurt and I don't know what to do. Help please._

The child's voice rang through his head and he clawed at his temple. The girl… her voice sounded familiar. He felt an old hope flame up in his chest, the same hope that had him on the run for two years. _Bianca_ …

He felt another presence in his head. _Father_ , he thought.

_Go. Now. She'll be dead if you don't do anything._

_I'm weak...what if I kill us both?_

_Do not worry. I will guide you both now GO._

“Nico,” he heard Solace whisper in alarm. He tugged himself free of his arms.

“I have to go.” Solace yelled something, but he was already in the cold embrace of the shadows.

 

*.*.*.*

 

He landed in a damp basement, hidden by shelves of collected junk that seemed to be almost as old as him. He unsheathed his sword and peered carefully around the corner.

His stomach dropped.

A woman was in the middle of the room, her hands and legs binded tightly to a chair. Her shirt torn open and her chest was carved with deep red gashes. Blood pooled and dropped down from her seat. Her eyes struggled to stay open and her breathing was labored. Nico swallowed. She wasn't dead yet but death was close. He could feel it hovering over her.

Her captor stood in front of her, a big burly man who was twisting a knife between his fingers. “Now,” he said in heavily accented English. “Will you tell me how?”

“I told you…” The woman breathed out. “I don't know anything.”

“Hmm. Well you see, the boss doesn't think so.” He circled her chair. “ _He_ thinks that it has something to do with _your kid_.” He pointed to a corner with his knife. Nico squinted and with a start realized that there was a small squirming figure. _Bianca_ …

He gripped his sword and attacked.

The man didn't even see him coming. Nico leapt onto his back and shoved his blade into his neck. But the sword only passed through as if transparent.

The man threw him to the ground and eyed him with distaste. “I don't know who you are, but you're going to regret that you little punk.”

Nico looked around nervously. None of his weapons would put a scratch on a mortal. He eyed the man's belt. Surely that couldn't be…? 

He backed up and tried his best to look terrified, which wasn't too far from how he was actually feeling. “I-I'm so sorry,” he stuttered while scooting back until he felt the metal shelving against his spine. “P-please don't hurt me!”

The man smiled cruelly. “A pretty thing like you?” He tucked his knife into his belt right next to a gun. “Wouldn't dream about it. I'll have my fun with you later.” He reached out to stroke his cheek, and Nico wanted to shudder but he had to act fast. His hands whipped out and grabbed the man's weapons.

“Back up.” He said while aiming the gun at his head. His left hand held out the knife protectively.

The man leaned in, his putrid breath washing over his face. “You're not gonna do anything. Now leave the toys for the adults.” He made a grab at the gun, but Nico slashed at his arm. He felt a sick satisfaction at seeing crimson blossoming on his shirt sleeve.

“I said, _back up_ ,” he repeated coldly.

“No.” He snarled and got closer to him. A shot rang out through the room and the man grasped his thigh. His eyes widened furiously. “You son of a-” Nico connected the hilt of the knife to his temple and the man crumpled to the ground.

He could tell that he wasn't dead, but he had to hurry up. A blow like that wouldn't keep a man of his size down for long. He didn't want to use his powers too much either. His father was giving him strength, he could feel it humming in his bones, but he wasn't sure for how long. 

When a soul was reincarnated, it went into a new vessel. A new vessel, a new person. One that the gods weren't to interfere with, no matter who they were to them in their last life. Nico couldn't begin to imagine the repercussions his father could face for doing this, but Bianca always was his favorite, even if this version of her wasn't technically his daughter.

He went to the woman, Bianca’s new mother he presumed, and lowered himself to meet her half-closed eyes. “I'll take care of her, okay? You don't have to worry about her.” The woman gave an attempt to smile.

“My baby...special… But don't leave… alone... please,” she whispered. Nico swallowed thickly.

“I won't, I promise.” He pushed her hair back from her clammy forehead. “Close your eyes. This won't hurt a bit.” He prayed to his father and slowly guided her soul to the Underworld, and her breathing slowed until her lungs no longer gasped for air.

He turned and went to the corner where the squirming figure laid. He reached out and cut the rope that tightly bound her limbs together and removed the gag carefully from her mouth. “Are you okay?” He asked, but blocked her mother from her view.

“I'm fine. But is my mommy… Is she…”

“I'm so sorry.” Nico felt tears prickle his eyes. The child buried her face into his waist, and he placed his hand over her hair and felt the short strands tickle his palm. He frowned and stepped back.

In the light, the child's features were soft, but Nico could see that he had misjudged horribly. He took in a shuddering breath. The child's eyes were undeniably his sister's, but everything else...wasn't.

“What's your name?” He asked gently and kneeled down.

“Brandon,” he whispered.

“Okay, Brandon. My name is Nico. I'm going to take you somewhere safe.”

“I know. I prayed to God for one of his angels and you came.” Brandon looked up at him with admiration, and Nico had to choke back a sob. He got back his sister, but she wasn't really back. Not his Bianca.

“I'm going to teleport us out of here, okay?” He picked up Brandon into his arms. “I need you to hold on for me, really tight, and don't let go no matter what. Can you do that?” He felt him nod then stiffen.

“Mr. Angel, look out!”

Nico turned around and saw the man lumbering towards them angrily with a pipe in hand. “I'm going to kill you both!" 

Nico tucked Brandon’s head into the crook of his neck. “Keep your eyes closed,” he whispered. He raised the gun and his hand shook slightly. But this time, the bullet didn't miss the target. The man fell, his soul already on its way to the Fields of Punishment before he hit the floor.

Brandon’s grip on him tightened and he could already feel the cries before they left the child’s body. “Shh, shh,” he whispered. “It's going to be okay, it's going to be okay.”

But as he let the shadows take them to the place he could barely call home, he wasn't sure which one of them he was trying to convince.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico returns to Camp Halfblood with his brother (...sister? He's still not sure..) in tow. But now he is received by more than weary campers due to all of the rumors circulating his arrival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “To you, all I feel is deny, deny, denial,  
> I wanted to be a better brother, better son,  
> Wanted to be a better adversary to the evil I have done,” -  
> Polarize, Twenty One Pilots

 

 

Part II

 

They crash landed in what Nico assumed to be the infirmary, but utter exhaustion took over him, and his eyelids felt like they were made out of iron. He pressed his cheek to the cool tile floor and sighed.

Above him, he could hear exclamations of surprise and a lot of yelling. Little hands pressed into his chest. “Mr. Angel! Mr. Angel! Get up! You have to be okay, okay? You-” He heard a choked sob. “You have to be.”

Nico wanted to reassure him, tell Brandon that he would be fine, but his throat refused to make a sound, and already there were hands. Hands pulling the child off his chest, hands tenderly lifting his head up and onto a lap. Hands pushing his hair out of his face and the warmth coming off of them made him lean into the touch. “ _What did you do, Nico?_ ” Solace whispered.

And Nico… he didn't have an answer for that. So he let his eyes get the relief that they were begging for, and let sleep take him.

 

*.*.*.*

 

In his dream, Brandon was playing on a swingset in an abandoned park. His giggles resonated throughout the dreamscape. “Faster! Faster!” He urged Nico, and he complied, pushing and pushing until the child was in the very real danger of flipping over.

“You're good with him,” said a voice behind him. Nico turned and saw his father dressed in a sharp suit that only seemed to enhance the sickly look that he always seemed to carry with him. Hades gave him a thin smile.

“Why?” He asked, and knew his father understood. Neither were men of many words, that much they had in common.

For one of the first times ever, Nico saw his father struggle for words. “I could not allow another one of my children die at the hands of ignorant fear.”

“This child isn't yours and you know it.” He felt no small amount of jealousy. His father had told him himself that it should have been him that died that night in the junkyard, and here he was, breaking all the rules to save a child that wasn't even his.

“He's...different.” Was all that Hades said and anger roared up inside him.

“Enough of that cryptic bullshit!” His father looked supremely unimpressed. “The gods will notice this sooner or later and if I have to take the fall for you, the least I deserve is to know-”

“He has the characteristics of my children, right down to the powers, despite not being mine biologically.” Nico fell silent.

“Is this because of Bianca’s soul?”

“Oh, yes, undoubtedly so. Almost as undoubtedly as the fact that my brothers and their offspring will notice.” Hades' eyes followed the movement of the swing.

Nico swallowed. “What are we going to do?” His stomach felt uneasy. He knew the punishments the gods would see fit for such a deceit, and they wouldn't just stop at him. He looked to Brandon, his feet kicking up and down, his giggles floating up to the sky.

“You are going to keep him safe at that camp of yours, and try not to venture into the mortal world with him. My brother will see it as bragging, and his wrath is not something you would wish to incur.” His father pressed two of his fingers to his forehead. Nico felt a strange sensation travel down his spine and to his toes.

“What-”

“Your powers won't falter as much. Of course, you'll have to still be careful, but using them won't kill you. Consider it compensation for all of this.” Hades made a vague gesture.

“Father...what are you going to do?”

His father grinned widely, showing his sharp teeth. “Nothing permanent.”

A tremor shook through the dream that fell trees and cracked the sidewalks, and Nico's eyes went directly to Brandon, but the child didn't seem to notice the utter destruction around him.

Hades sighed tiredly at the sky. “It seems that dear old brother of mine simply can't wait to see me. Very well.”

“I...good luck.” Though that might have been the last time he would ever see his father, and there was a lot more that he wanted to say, that was all that left his mouth. His father gave him another smile, but softer than before.

“I wish you the same my son,” Hades said before another tremor ran through, and the whole dream shattered.

 

*.*.*.*

 

For the second time that week, Nico woke up in the infirmary with confusion laced intricately with his face. He was laying on his same bed, but there was no sun coming in through the nearby window, instead, the whole sky was covered in rolling dark clouds. He felt a weight on his calf, and looked down to find a fluff of black hair resting on his leg. Brandon.

He tried to reposition his leg without accidentally kicking him in the face. “Cute kid,” came a voice. Nico looked up to see Solace walking to his bed. “Hasn't left your side since you got here.”

Up close, Solace looked wrecked. His eyes were rimmed with red, and he looked as though he hadn't had a goodnight’s sleep in a while. “Yeah?” Nico asked and tried hard not to stare. He had never seen the son of Apollo as anything but cheery.

“Yeah. Hasn't told us anything about what happened either.” Solace’s voice hardened.

“How long was I out for?” He asked, trying to change the subject.

“Two days. What the fuck happened, Nico?” The healer stayed standing at the foot of his bed. Nico sighed. He wasn't sure how much he was allowed to say, how much he could reveal. “We found a _gun_ on you, and gunpowder residue on your hands. Do you have _any_ idea what everyone is thinking? What they've been saying?”

He did. He could only imagine how worse the campers would treat him now, when he truly didn't have anywhere else he could go safely. A demigod was only meant to fight against monsters and the occasional minor god, which was why all of their weapons were made out of metals that would only harm them and not mortals. But to wield and use a weapon to intentionally hurt a mortal? That was believed to be major taboo.

“They've been saying you killed a man,” Solace continued.

“I did.”

Solace inhaled sharply. “...why?”

“My father sent me to retrieve him,” he gestured to Brandon. “The man holding him hostage...he was horrible. Disgusting.” He raised his gaze to meet Solace's blue eyes. “Believe me, he deserved a lot worse than what I gave him. I can feel his soul right now in the Fields of Punishment, cursed to feel every horror he ever committed every day for the rest of his existence.”

Solace swallowed thickly, but moved closer so that he was at Nico's side. “Do you regret it?” He asked quietly.

“No,” he answered, and expected a look of horror, but one never came, so he continued. “Scum like that can't even be considered remotely human.” Solace looked at him and Nico wanted him to say something because this silence didn't feel natural. It felt uncomfortable and charged with tension. He eyed Solace. He really did look like shit, and he said so.

Solace gave a humorless laugh. “Yeah? Well let's just say that these past two days haven't exactly been the best of times.”

“Why?” He asked. Anything to keep the conversation going. But it was apparently the wrong thing to ask, because Solace gave him a look that seemed to say, _Are you really this stupid?_

The healer shook his head as if in disbelief. “Never mind,” he muttered. “I alerted Chiron that you were awake and he called for a meeting with all of the head counsellors. He also asked for the kid to be there as well.” Solace stayed by his bed and it looked like he wasn't going to leave to the Big House without Nico by his side.

Nico looked down at his brother. The child huffed in his sleep and a tuft of his hair flew out of his face then back in. “Brandon,” he said softly, shaking his smaller body. “Brandon, you have to wake up.” His eyes opened suddenly and were filled with anger, but as soon as he saw who it was that was waking him, they filled with tears. The child flung himself to Nico’s arms.

“I-I th-thought you were gonna die!” He cried out. Nico returned the hug slowly. “You di-didn't wake up! A-and all these people came in a-and they tried to take me away!”

Nico lowered his head to the boy's shoulder. “It's fine. I'm fine.” He felt a bit awkward with Solace right there watching and listening, but he continued. “I wouldn't let them take you, they'd have to go through me first, got it?” He felt Brandon nod. “Good. Now we have to go talk to the man in charge of this place, okay?”

“Okay,” came a whisper. “Can you still carry me, Mr. Angel?”

His heart melted. “Whatever you want, _fratellino_.” Getting out of bed with a five year-old holding onto him like his life depended on it was difficult, but he managed. He turned to Solace and tried to keep his flushing cheeks at bay. “Coming, Solace?”

“Yeah,” he said, with a look in his eyes that made Nico want to run for cover.

They headed out, and Nico looked up at the sky. The clouds loomed over them and thunder rumbled ominously. Brandon’s arms tightened around his neck. Solace must have noticed his staring because he said, “They've been like this since you got back. Wouldn't have an explanation, would you?”

Nico would've been outraged at the accusation, but he knew the weather was due to him. The camp was charmed so that it was sunny year round. The only reason it wouldn't be was if the gods were angered, and Nico might as well have had a large red target on him after what he did. “No,” he said instead.

They walked quietly for a few moments before he spoke up again. “Did anybody explain what this place is to you, Brandon?” The boy nodded.

“They-they said it was a safe place for people like us, where monsters can't get us.”

“Do you know who people like us are?” Nico asked, and while he felt a bit bad for deceiving not only Brandon but also Solace into believing that the boy was a true demigod, he didn't let the guilt stop him. He needed them to believe it so that Brandon would be allowed to stay at camp. He couldn't take any chances. Not with his sister's soul at risk.

The boy whispered _no_ in his arms. “We're called demigods. We have one human parent and a godly parent. We get gifts from our godly parents, like powers. You know how I brought us here? That's one of my powers.” Brandon leaned back in his arms until he could see Nico's face.

“Who's your parent?” He asked.

“Hades, the god of the Underworld.”

“Mine is Apollo, god of the sun, music poetry, and healing among other things,” Solace piped up.

“That's so cool!” Brandon exclaimed. “Who's my parent? It has to be a boy-god and not a girl-god cuz mommy's gone,” his voice gradually became subdued.

“Well, we'll find out soon enough.” Solace said. “I'm surprised you haven't been claimed already.”

“No need.” Nico said, looking at Brandon. “You're mine.”

Solace choked, and Brandon asked with his eyes wide, “ _You're_ my daddy?”

Nico sputtered. “No-no that's not what I meant!” He could feel his cheeks burn bright red. “I meant Hades is your dad too.” And there went his master plan: make everyone believe Brandon was his biological brother to explain the urgency of his departure and return. It was safer than explaining the fact his dead sister was back, but wasn't his sister at all.

“So you're my brother! That's awesome! I have an angel for a brother!” Brandon turned to tell Solace excitedly. “Isn't that cool?!”

Solace laughed. “Way cool. Angels are awesome.”

Nico felt a blush forming. “Just call me Nico, that's my name.”

“But it's not your _full_ name,” Brandon stressed. Nico squinted at the boy. The only other person who knew that was Bianca. Bianca, who by all means, was in his arms that very moment.

“What's my full name?” He asked, curious.

“Nikodemos,” the boy giggled out. He stiffened a bit, but he couldn't let it show. Solace was right next to him, and he couldn't afford any suspicion. “It's a weird name.”

“Not as weird as Brandon,” he teased lightly.

“I'm with your brother on this one, _Nikodemos_ ,” Solace smiled smugly and Nico groaned.

“You're never gonna let this go, are you?”

“Nope!” He said brightly and though they all had more to say, they left it at that because they had finally arrived at the gates of the Big House.

 

*.*.*.*

 

Chiron greeted them at the door. “You gave us quite the scare, Mr. di Angelo. The search parties, however, were especially glad to hear that you had been found when you were.”

“Search parties?” He whispered to Solace, and he looked back at him sheepishly.

“I got worried!” He defended. “So I may or may not have alerted the entire camp and sent out campers to look for you.” At Nico’s glare, he said, “They were all volunteers! Percy, Jason and Annabeth each led a team. Also you might want to Iris-Message your sister.”

Nico groaned inwardly but couldn't say anything to Solace as they entered the meeting room.

The normally rambunctious group went quiet as Nico entered. He took a seat next to Jason and adjusted Brandon in his lap. He stared forward and ignored the stares and the sudden rise of whispers.

_“Did you hear-”_

_“-killed a mortal-”_

_“Fucking creep I swear-”_

_“-why he's allowed here-”_

_“He might as well be a monster himself-”_

_“-that little kid must be-”_

Nico bit the inside of his cheek and let the words wash over him. They weren't wrong. At all. He was angry at himself. He'd gone and fucked up again, just as they'd all expected him to-

A little hand shook his shoulder. “They're talking about us,” Brandon whispered.

And apparently they were. Chiron stood at the front of the room and was addressing them. “I've called this meeting so that Mr. di Angelo may clear up some of the rumors going around camp and so that you may speak to your siblings about this and clear up any confusion. Address any and all questions to him, please.” Chiron didn't say anything else, and he couldn't help but feel as though he had been left to the sharks.

Clarisse, who he noticed had since gotten her cast and sling off, asked the first question, “Did you actually bring a gun to camp?” Almost immediately, the talking started again, and he felt frustrated. Why Chiron felt it necessary to invite the heads of all the cabins and nymphs, he didn't know.

“Yes,” he yelled over the chatter, and struggled to keep his composure as they turned to him once more. “I brought the gun to camp, yes I used it, no I don't plan to keep it dispose of it as you wish and that's all I'm saying about it. Anything else? Because if not then I really must be on my way.”

Percy laughed from the other side of Jason. “No way di Angelo. You're not getting out of this that fast. I did not spend the better part of my Thursday evening looking for you, for you to try to brush this off. Who's the kid?”

“I'm his brother!” Brandon chose that moment to speak. A tense quiet fell over the room and Chiron looked unsettled.

“Is what the child said true, Nico?” He asked gently. Nico debated with himself for a moment. They really didn't need to know everything. They didn't need to know that the boy sitting on his lap wasn't his brother, but his sister.

He nodded. “Yes he is. He was in danger, you can understand why my father sent me so quickly, right?”

Chiron nodded slowly and sighed. “Another child of the Big Three… And of Hades no less. I suppose this explains the storm. Does he have any other family?” Nico shook his head. “Very well.” Chiron leveled his stare to meet Nico's eyes. “I expect you to be responsible for him. The child is still young and will need all of your attention. There is a reason there are no younger campers, but due to the circumstances the rule will be ignored. I expect for all of you to be kind to the boy.” He spoke to the whole room. “After the war, we need to be united more than ever. And this boy will be treated with the courtesy that we must offer to all demigods in need.”

There was a murmur of reluctant agreement. “Good. Meeting adjourned.”

The majority of the campers left, but Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper and Will stayed behind. “What's your name?” Annabeth asked gently.

“Brandon,” he said proudly.

“That's a pretty name,” Piper commented.

Brandon nodded. “It's a lot better than Ni-”

Nico covered his mouth with his hand. “Well I'd love to stay and chat but we really must get going.”

Solace, who had been bent over laughing silently straightened up quickly, a bit too quickly it seemed, as he fell over. The other six looked over curiously. Brandon licked Nico’s palm. He scrunched his nose in distaste and rubbed his hand on his jeans.

“You're not-” Nico looked up at Solace. “You're not leaving camp, are you?”

Nico gave him a small smile. He wasn't sure why Will Solace was so insistent he stay, but it was nice. He left a warm feeling in his stomach. “No, I'm staying. Indefinitely.”

Solace cleared his throat. “That's-that's good.”

Piper glanced between them and shot Nico a thumbs up. Jason and Percy both winked. And Annabeth was the only one who left him alone, though he supposed that was only because she was the only one who went to go help Will off the floor. He frowned. He felt as if they all knew something he didn't.

“Well, Brandon, we should probably get going to our cabin. We'll have to do this introduction thing later during lunch.” He told them.

“Why don't we have lunch on the beach?” Percy suggested. “That way we don't all crowd your table?”

“What about the weather?” Piper asked.

“Well, if it rains, I can keep us dry and if there's lightning, we have Jason.”

“That's...actually a good idea,” Jason said slowly.

“Why do you sound so surprised? I have good ideas all the time, right Annabeth?”

“Sure you do, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth said, walking up to him and planting a kiss on his cheek.

Nico expected to feel some lingering trace of jealousy, but he was surprised that he felt none. He gestured for Brandon to get off of his lap, and his thighs felt like static. He tried to stand despite this, and felt his legs buckle. Arms grabbed him and he heard fading giggles and shushing behind him.

Up close to Will, he could see the faint freckles that were dusted across his nose and blushing cheekbones, and the specks of yellow and light green amidst his blue eyes. He gulped and saw Will swallow thickly himself. “Are you okay?” He was asked.

“My legs fell asleep…” He explained. “You can let go now.”

“Oh, yeah.” Will flushed even redder and had a light sheen around him.

“Mister, are you glowing?” Brandon asked with his brow furrowed. Nico quelled a rising blush of his own at remembering that there was, in fact, others in the room. Though the three of them seemed to be the only ones left.

Will swatted at his skin and the glow left. “Yeah-it does that when I- yeah…” He trailed off, embarrassed.

Nico stiffled a smile, his hand reaching for Brandon’s. “We should get going,” he told Will. He closed his eyes and was about to shadowtravel when another hand grabbed his.

“No no no no no. No Underworld stuff, you promised, di Angelo.” Will tsked.

“I'm fine now, my dad fixed it. I'm not in any danger now.”

“I- uh,” he floundered for a moment. “Your legs fell asleep!” He sounded triumphant and Nico raised his eyebrows in response. “If your legs fell asleep then you're not getting proper blood circulation to all of your limbs, and walking is one of the fastest ways to remedy this. You have to walk to your cabin, Doctor's orders!”

Nico was already heading out the Big House, tugging along a wide-eyed Brandon behind him. “We’ll have time for a proper tour later, okay? I'll show you everything later.”

Brandon nodded excitedly.

“And as my patient,” Will continued as he followed them. “I must accompany you to ensure your health.”

“Obviously,” Nico deadpanned, but couldn't stop the rising tide of butterflies in his stomach. Will smiled in return, showing his perfect white teeth. Nico looked away hurriedly and started the path to his cabin. They walked silently, except for Brandon’s questions, which Nico answered diligently each time. He was well aware of Will’s eyes on him, he felt the blue orbs burning a hole into his head every time he pointed something out for his brother or told him about the different traditions at the camp.

A little ways from the cabin, Nico pointed out the large dark building out to him and encouraged him to run ahead. Will and Nico watched as he ran as fast as his legs would carry him to his new home.

Nico eyed Will, and he felt the butterflies fly up through his chest and out of his mouth. “You should come join us for lunch.”

Will looked surprised, but immensely happy. Nico made note. “I'd love to but are you sure? I don't want to intrude on your friends, and I'm not too sure they'd want me there.”

“Does it matter?” He said before he could stop himself. “I want you there.”

Will began to glow, the sheen less noticeable outside despite the clouds. He scowled and slapped his arms. Nico laughed. “I'll take that as a yes?”

“Y-yeah,” Will said blushing, and Nico would never admit it, but his face felt warm as well. “I'll see you later.”

“I'll see you later,” he repeated quietly to his retreating form. He turned back towards his cabin to hear Brandon's exclamation of, _“Oh my god, you're a vampire!”_ Excitement and nervousness bubbled inside him as he stepped through the door to join his brother, his thoughts straying to the blonde healer that always left him feeling giddy and warm.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of those who read, commented or left kudos! If you liked this chapter, please feel free to do so again.  
> In this chapter, Brandon/Bianca is beginning to show signs of remembering their past life. In later chapters, you guys are gonna see why it's tagged as gender/body dysphoria. Also, Hades caring about his kids??? Yes??? 
> 
> Will glowing is a headcanon I saw on tumblr, props to whoever came up with it. Nikodemos is the Ancient Greek version of his name. As y'all can see, Will has a really big crush on Nico, has had one for years, but we'll go into that later. 
> 
> Next chapter, which should come later this week, we'll have some more dorky/pining Will and Nico realizing that he maybe has feelings for him. If you guys liked this chapter, please leave comments and kudos. ❤❤❤

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo this has actual plot??? Whaaat???? This is solangelo, and I don't plan on it being any longer than 10 chapters. I imagine Brandon to be about 5 and Nico 15. The reason he confused him for a girl is that children's voices are quite similar when they're younger and wishful thinking, he really wanted him to be a little carbon copy of his sister. If you liked it or have any questions, please comment or like! I also have a tumblr with the same username, hmu if you want. I'll see y'all later with the next part! ❤❤❤


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